The Claiming of Seto Kaiba
by HotaruGFC
Summary: Post-DSOD return. Seto takes Mokuba out for his birthday and has an interesting encounter.


Seto watched as Mokuba darted into the small cafe. It was his brother's birthday, and since he had returned, Seto had vowed to do better by his brother. His obsession with the pharaoh had led him to do ridiculous, dangerous, and stupid things. He would not trade the experience for anything in the world. He had learned a great deal about himself and had found the sense of closure that he needed to move on with his life. And one of those pieces of his life that he had neglected was Mokuba.

Seto had been impressed with how mature Mokuba had grown when he came back. He knew that being left with so much responsibility was a challenge and he was proud that his little brother had risen to it. But in the end, Mokuba was still Mokuba. Seto was secretly happy that his brother's spirit had not seemed to change. He was still as carefree as Seto remembered.

Seto had looked skeptically at Mokuba when he said that he wanted to go to the cat cafe for part of his birthday celebration. Seto had promised to spend the entire day with him, doing whatever he wanted. Seto smiled as Mokuba ran up to a small calico that butted her head into his outstretched hand. Seto put his bag down at an empty table before ordering at the counter. While he had promised to spend the day with Mokuba, he also still had some work to finish. He hoped that the noise of the cats would not be too disruptive while he worked. They were everywhere. All sorts of colors, All sorts of breeds. But they all stayed away from him.

"Perfect." He murmured under his breath as he pulled out his tablet and stylus. Seto glanced up every so often at Mokuba's laughter only to see him surrounded by all of the cats. Mokuba was ecstatic and his joy made Seto smile.

Staring at the tablet screen made Seto's eyes hurt. Being away from technology had made him realize how bad his eyesight had grown from years of staring at computer screens and tiny electrical components. He fumbled absently through his bag for a pair of glasses that helped cut down damage from the screen, his eyes still firmly fixed on the tablet before him. A soft furry brush against his hand stopped his searching. He turned toward the bag. His gaze was met by the unblinking stare of an old black cat with rich amber eyes. The cat's fur glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window as it meowed at him before rubbing its head against his hand once more. He abandoned his search and turned his hand over. The cat meowed at him once more before sniffing his fingers and laying its chin in his hand. Seto gently scratched the underside of its chin and the cat purred loudly. He was engrossed in the interaction that he barely noticed when the waitress brought his drink.

"Naoko never acts like this." The young woman said, watching the interaction between man and cat.

"Naoko, huh?" Seto muttered. The cat meowed back. "I guess she just likes me." He said scratching her between the ears as he looked at the waitress. His smile was tight as he thanked her for the drink.

"She's usually a prickly one and very aloof. You should consider yourself lucky that she's so affectionate to you." The waitress said before she went to care for another table. Naoko used the distraction to crawl into Seto's lap. She settled quickly across his legs and purred loudly. Seto retrieved his glasses, took a sip of his coffee and went back to work. He caught himself stroking the cat's soft fur several times as he read through project proposals or watched Mokuba surrounded by the rest of the cafe's denizens. Still, none of the other animals approached him.

"Hey, Seto, you should come play with the kittens." Mokuba bounced in the seat across from him as he sipped on his bubble tea.

Seto looked over the rim of his glasses at his brother.

"Can't." He pointed to the sleeping beast in his lap.

Mokuba slipped around the table to see the black beauty curled up in Seto's lap. His face erupted in a grin as he looked at his brother and laughed. He grabbed his tea from across the table and sat next to Seto, scratching the head of the sleeping cat.

"Thanks for coming with me, Seto."

"Of course, Mokuba."

"I was afraid that you wouldn't want to, or that you would be too busy."

It was true that he had been too busy in the past, and Seto regretted many of his decisions leading him to be so absent in his brother's life.

"I'll never be that busy again." He looked at the younger Kaiba.

"I've been thinking, Seto. We should get one." Mokuba scratched the underside of Naoko's chin who had stretched her neck out as far as she could to accommodate him.

"One what?"

"A cat."

Seto looked skeptically at his brother. Gozaburo had never allowed them the luxury of a pet, and their father had been allergic, so they had never kept an animal aside from a fish that Seto had won at a festival when he was much younger and far less responsible. The poor fish's life had not ended well.

"Really?" He cocked his eyebrow at Mokuba.

"Oh, come on. Even you're enjoying this little one's company. What's her name?"

"Naoko." Seto said, sighing. "She's apparently the mean cat here."

"No wonder she likes you." Mokuba laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mokuba laughed more loudly as he went to order lunch. Seto stroked the purring creature once more as he tried to refocus his attention on the proposal he was slogging his way through.

A few days later, Seto was pacing through his office. He had ideas floating around in his head, but every time he tried to pin one down, it escaped him. He had tried tinkering. He had tried looking through his deck. He had even tried doodling and napping, but nothing seemed to help his focus. He plopped down into his chair and spun around to face the window. Closing his eyes, he pushed himself around and around until he could feel his head swimming. The view from the his office spun as he looked at the buildings below. As the world came back into focus, he stood and left the office's constrictive environment.

He waved off his chauffeur and bodyguard as he walked through the lobby into the hot July afternoon. The heat was oppressive and he removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie as he stepped into the summer sun. He let his mind wander as he walked through the city streets. He looked at the people passing on the sidewalk and the cars driving by. He saw the faces of the people that lived in his city. Eventually, he found his way to the construction site of a new project. From outside the fencing, the project was wrapped in mystery and controversy, but he knew the people in the city, his people would come to love the new building. The design was beautiful, and the surrounding areas were to be renovated upon its completion. It might be seen as a hassle now, but the improvements will be worth the wait, or so the civil engineers had reassured him.

Seto continued on, meandering his way back toward KaibaCorp headquarters. He passed school girls laughing and boys trying to flirt with them. He passed mothers with children and businessmen talking on their phones. He stopped in front of a small cafe. Two small tables sat outside the windows with umbrellas shading them from the late afternoon sun. The backs of the metal chairs were shaped like the cats that were at lounging in the window. A black cat with golden eyes looked up at him as he watched the sunning creatures. She meowed at him through the glass, beckoning him inside. Seto smiled as he pushed the door open.

The cat rubbed against the gate that separated the glass door from the rest of the cafe as he entered, meowing loudly. The bell on the door jingled as it closed quietly behind him.

"Welcome to…" an employee started enthusiastically before she noticed the cat clamoring for his attention. "Naoko?" She asked puzzled.

The cat hissed at her before stretching up to meet Seto's hand as he unlatched the gate. As he stepped through the gate and up to the counter, the cat wove a figure eight through his feet, nearly tripping him.

"Coffee, dark roast." Seto bent over and scratched the old cat's head.

"Oh, Of course." The young employee stammered. "She's surprisingly affectionate today. She usually can't stand people."

"Then why is she here?" Seto asked as he took the coffee she placed on the counter. He placed his jacket on the back on a chair and pulled his phone from a pocket before sitting down. The cat jumped on the table and sat next to his cup, as if waiting for him to join her. He crossed his arms on the table and looked at her. The cat placed one paw on his arm, looked up at him, meowed once and then slowly blinked at him. Seto blinked in response and Naoko began to purr.

Seto had not noticed how much time had passed when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

It was Mokuba, wondering where he had gone. Seto looked out the window to see that the pinks and reds of sunset. He sighed and stroked the old cat's head a few more times before taking his leave. She meowed sadly from the table top as he reached the gate. He turned to see the cat stand, stretch and then jump down to the floor. Quickly, she was at his feet once more. She stretched her paws up his long legs, meowing up at him. He sighed and picked her up, cradling her against his chest. She rubbed her face against his chin as he walked to the counter.

Seto called a car to come pick him up from the cafe. While the walk had been nice in the afternoon, it was growing quite late and he did not feel like making the trip in the dark. He sat at one of the small tables outside the cafe as he waited, listening to the whining from the carrier on the table. Golden eyes stared out at him from the dark depth of the plastic box.

"Don't look at me like that. It's for your safety." He tried to explain to the disgruntled occupant of the box. Seto sent a text to Isono regarding the new acquisition along with a shopping list and instructions as the limousine pulled up. He placed the carrier gently inside the back seat before sliding in next to it. Mokuba was waiting for him, glaring.

"What is that?" Mokuba asked, his curiosity overcoming his anger. The wailing from the carrier had taken on an other-worldly tone. Seto closed the door behind him before turning to unlatch the carrier's door. Naoko crept out of the opening uncertainly before finding her way to Seto's lap.

"You got a cat."

"Didn't you want one?"

"Well, yeah. I just didn't expect you to actually get one. You're not usually this impulsive, Seto."

"It's been on my mind since your birthday."

Naoko began exploring the backseat. She crawled over Mokuba's lap to look out the window, her long body stretching from his legs to the window's ledge. Her gold eyes were wide circle and she meowed curiously at the buildings passing by.

"I was kind of hoping for a kitten." Mokuba scratched Naoko's head. "But, she will do." The cat swayed, startled, as the car went over a bump in the road, her claws digging into Mokuba's leg. He bit back a cry, but pulled her back to the safety of his lap.

"Welcome to the family, Naoko." Seto said, sliding next to his brother to scratch the scared cat's head. Mokuba smiled at his brother's affection for the animal.

"What?" Seto asked his grinning brother.

"Nothing." Mokuba tried to play it off. "It's just… You've changed." Seto raised his eyebrows at the statement. "Next thing you know, you'll be dating and falling in love, getting married…" Mokuba teased.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Seto warned, but he could not keep the small smile from creeping across his lips.


End file.
